US 12,264,971 B2
Noncontact thermometer
Matthew D. Mullin, Memphis, NY (US); Aaron R. Burnham, Skaneateles Falls, NY (US); Zhon Ye Chu, Skaneateles Falls, NY (US); David L. Kellner, Baldwinsville, NY (US); John A. Lane, Venice, FL (US); Carlos Andres Suarez, Syracuse, NY (US); and Per Soderberg, Sarasota, FL (US)
Assigned to Welch Allyn, Inc., Skaneateles Falls, NY (US)
Filed by Welch Allyn, Inc., Skaneateles Falls, NY (US)
Filed on Feb. 23, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/652,161.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/158,528, filed on Mar. 9, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0291045 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. G01J 5/02 (2022.01); G01J 5/00 (2022.01); G01J 5/03 (2022.01); G01J 5/07 (2022.01); G01J 5/08 (2022.01)
CPC G01J 5/0275 (2013.01) [G01J 5/0025 (2013.01); G01J 5/0265 (2013.01); G01J 5/027 (2013.01); G01J 5/03 (2022.01); G01J 5/07 (2022.01); G01J 5/0859 (2013.01); G01J 5/0896 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A non-contact thermometer, comprising:
a housing;
a display unit coupled to the housing;
an imaging device configured to generate an image of a facial profile for display on the display unit;
one or more temperature sensors mounted on the housing, the one or more temperature sensors configured to determine a temperature of at least one measurement site without contact;
at least one processing device operatively connected to the one or more temperature sensors and the display unit; and
at least one computer readable data storage device storing software instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing device, cause the non-contact thermometer to:
display an indicator to assist alignment of the one or more temperature sensors with the at least one measurement site, wherein the indicator is displayed on the display unit as a viewfinder screen overlayed on the facial profile, and wherein the viewfinder screen includes a vertical line and a horizontal line to assist moving the housing to both horizontally and vertically align the one or more temperature sensors with first and second measurement sites,
wherein the vertical line is configured to align with a patient's nose shown on the facial profile of the display to assist moving the housing to horizontally align the one or more temperature sensors with the first and second measurement sites,
wherein the horizontal line is configured to align with a patient's eyes shown on the facial profile of the display to assist moving the housing to vertically align the one or more temperature sensors with the first and second measurement sites, and
wherein alignment of the patient's nose with the vertical line and the patient's eyes with the horizontal line improves an accuracy of temperature estimates acquired from the non-contact thermometer;
receive at least one measurement reading from the at least one measurement site;
determine a temperature based on the at least one measurement reading; and
display the temperature on the display unit.